The coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc around the globe. The number of deaths is rising, financial markets have crashed, supply chains have been severed, and entire countries are in lockdown. The exponential growth of the number of coronavirus cases in the United States is an indicator for tougher times in the coming weeks. President Trump has called the situation a ‘war’ with an ‘invisible enemy’.
According to the governor of the state of New York, the worst-hit state so far, there is already a shortage of protective equipment and ventilators. In these extremely troubling times, what the country needs is for its citizens to step-up and help the state fight this war. The auto industry in the US has already been engaged in trying to find ways to meet the demand for ventilators.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused a shortage of several items including hand-sanitizers, a critical tool in controlling the spread of the virus. To combat this shortage, Johns Hopkins and Sagamore Spirit have joined forces to manufacture microbial disinfectants for use at Johns Hopkins Health System. Sagamore Spirit is a Baltimore based whiskey distillery, owned by Kevin Plank. Johns Hopkins took the role of gathering all the technical and logistical information needed to produce the disinfectant, while Sagamore Spirit halted the production of its whiskey products to dedicate its entire distillery equipment and space to support the manufacturing. The urgency of the situation meant the partnership had to be fast-tracked. It took only about a week to get past all the hurdles including regulatory and supply-chain challenges.
The first batch of disinfected will be delivered to Johns Hopkins within a week. With the support of Kevin Plank, John Hopkins Health System would be able to provide an adequate volume of disinfectants to its healthcare workers. Paul Rothman, CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, appreciated the remarkable efforts of Kevin Plank and Sagamore Spirit. Sagamore Spirit has committed to meet the needs of Johns Hopkins but they are also trying to increase production past the 54,000 liters to meet the needs of other critical-need organizations.
Kevin Plank is known for being the founder and executive chairman of the popular sportswear brand Under Armour. The company is known for its performance apparel engineered to keep athletes cool, dry and light. The company is based in Baltimore, MD. Kevin has had a special connection with Baltimore. Kevin was born in Kensington, about 40 miles from Baltimore. Under Armour was founded in Washington, DC, but was moved to Baltimore after a couple of years. Since then, Kevin has been enthusiastically supporting the growth and development of the city of Baltimore.
Kevin Plank has invested millions of dollars in the city through Under Armour, Sagamore Spirit, and other ventures. Kevin believes that deep connection with Baltimore reflects the value system of his companies that believe in giving back to the local community. In 2019, Under Armour with the recipient of the ESPN Sports Humanitarian Corporate Community Impact Award. This award was in recognition of the philanthropic efforts of the company. Under Armour had also started a #WeWill campaign, focused on charitable donations throughout the world.
Under Armour is also committed to manufacturing other essential items for this fight against coronavirus. The healthcare workers and first responders are the most vulnerable to contracting the virus. The panic amongst the general public has meant a shortage of protective equipment for the most vulnerable groups. Under Armour has already started making face masks, face shields, supply kits and are planning to start manufacturing hospital gowns. According to most epidemiologists, face masks hold the key to slowing down the virus transmission. At Under Armour, a diverse team of material scientists to designers was quick to get together to search for solutions to the challenge of manufacturing large volumes of protective masks in limited time.
The company decided on manufacturing a one-piece mask that doesn’t require sewing. The innovative design allowed for quicker production while delivering the required level of protection for the users. The material of the mask is moisture-resistant and breathable. Under Armour is expecting to deliver over 100,000 masks every week. They are also exploring the possibility of using 3D printing for heavy-duty face masks for medical professionals.
Under Armour has delivered over 1300 face shields to the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) and is on track to distribute over half a million face marks. The CEO of UMMS, Mohan Suntha, has expressed his gratitude to Kevin Plank and Under Armour for investing in personal protective equipment for the healthcare workers of UMMS.
The CEO of Under Armour, Patrick Frisk, is immensely proud of the hard work and achievements of his Under Armour teammates. He believes that in the current crisis, the mindsets of being part of a team has been very important. The ability of Under Amour’s teammates to think quickly and act is going to help saves lives. Under Armour has pledged $1 million to Feeding America, a program launched to support those affected by the quarantines. It also announced a $1 million donation to a 30-day at-home fitness challenge. Under Armour has shown the way for other corporations to leverage their resources to support critical-need institutions.
